Visit Big Bend is a great website detailing all different activiteis in the Big Bend.

Alpine (Alpine Website) offers the largest shopping selection in the Big Bend, with fine art galleries, local arts & crafts shops, excellent bookstores, cowboy gear and apparel, rock and gem shops, and Mexican imports. Two grocery stores, a natural foods store, lumber yards and a variety of other suppliers provide for the needs of visitors on their way to the area’s National and State Parks. Nestled in a valley between the Davis and Glass Mountains, Alpine’s 4,500-foot elevation and low humidity ensure some of the most comfortable weather in the state, boasting warm, sunny winter days, and cool mornings and nights even in mid-summer.Be sure to visit the Reata Restaurant home of “Texas Cowboy Cuisine”. The Reata was inspired by the Benedict’s home in the movie, “Giant.” Like the menu says, this legendary film, “captured the true flavor of the West.” Reata Restaurant aims to do the same… and succeeds. Reata Restaurant Website

San Solomon Springs ( Balmorhea State Park Website ) Located just an hour drive from Sierra la Rana, Balmorhea State Park and San Solomon Springs has provided mineral rich waters for weary travelers for thousands of years. Originally the springs were called Mescalero Springs for the Mescalero Apache Indians who watered their horses along its banks. 30 million gallons of mineral rich water flow through the 2 acre spring-fed swimming pool each day. The artesian spring pool has depths of over 25 feet and a constant water temperature that ranges between 72 to 76 degrees. It also has a variety of aquatic life in its crystal clear waters. With a capacity of more than 3 1/2 million gallons, the pool has plenty of room for swimmers, while offering a unique setting for scuba and skin diving. Visitors can enjoy swimming, picnicking, and camping.

Big Bend National Park (Big Bend National Park Website) is an 800,000-acre is part of the Chihuahuan desert, the largest desert in North America, where you can find mountain ranges with extinct volcanoes, beautiful canyons, and seasonal waterfalls. It is home to over 450 bird species, 75 mammal species, and 67 amphibian and reptile species. Big Bend offers rafting trips, camping and miles of hiking, backpacking, and mountain bike trails.

McDonald Observatory ( McDonald Observatory Website) is located in the Davis Mountains and is one of the world’s leading centers for astronomical research. The Big Bend Region offers some of the darkest night skies in the continental United States making it the ideal setting for star gazing.

Sul Ross State University (Sul Ross State University Website)
Called “the most underrated little university west of the Mississippi” by CBS’s Dan Rather, Sul Ross State University in West Texas boasts a combination of small class sizes, an appreciation of both fine arts and the sciences and popular professional programs in a relaxed, friendly environment.

The university’s name honors Lawrence Sullivan “Sul” Ross, the son of a pioneer Waco, Texas, family and a popular soldier, governor, educator and humanitarian. Founded in 1917 as a teacher college, Sul Ross continues to offer teacher education as one of its most popular programs. Others in high demand are business, criminal justice and agricultural and natural resource sciences. Sul Ross achieved university status in 1969.

The university, comprising 647 in Alpine, Texas, has an enrollment of 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students and boasts a beautiful 93-acre main campus of exquisitely-detailed buildings and enjoys perhaps the most temperate climate in the state. Its location in the Davis Mountains overlooks the center of the city below, yet it remains within walking distance of many local stores and restaurants. The university also has a 468-acre working ranch that serves its animal science programs.

Marfa (Marfa Website) is located 25 miles from Alpine through the beautiful Davis Mountains. This small ranching community is located on a Chihuahuan Desert plateau in the Trans-Pecos area of west Texas. Supported mostly by ranching, and more recently by tourism, it is surrounded by vast mountains and is Texas’ highest incorporated city. Marfa is known primarily for its famous Marfa Mystery Lights and as the location for the shooting of the classic movie “Giant,” with Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Dennis Hopper and James Dean.

Fort Davis (Fort Davis Website)The big skies and surrounding natural beauty of the Davis Mountains attract birders, stargazers, hikers, cyclists, and motorists; every road to and from Fort Davis is a scenic one.

Terlingua (Terlingua Website) A scattered but thriving community centered around the Junction of Highways 118 and 170 now boasts comfortable motels, a 9-hole golf course, restaurants, river outfitters, jeep tours, a bank, a post office, and a modern school. Eclectic galleries display the work of local artisans and the nightlife includes music by hot hometown players. The remoteness and beauty of Big Bend has always attracted artists, poets, and musicians, and many have settled in Terlingua and Study Butte.

Now that you’ve decided that Alpine, TX, is the best place for you to live, let us guide you to the best place to build your home in this small West Texas Town: Sierra La Rana!